how to stay in the green

**FOR GONDOR** · May 19, 2011, 08:37 PM

hello, i am playing late campaign as the crusader states (they won the vote i posted earlier this week) and i am finding it difficult to stay in the green, Jerusalem's in a plague and all my other settlements are castles, i am trying to stay within buget and i havnt recuited any units except for some archers in kerak, and im building finacial buildings, any tips?

**Andytheplatypus** · May 19, 2011, 09:03 PM

Try to only to recruit feudal units that will have a free upkeep in castles. In cities keep it to militia and cheap upkeep units. Work on getting your population up in your settlements first, then work on financial buildings. Get trade rights with all of your neighbors.

**k/t** · May 19, 2011, 11:40 PM

It's "in the black".

If money is a necessity RIGHT NOW, then ports and roads and markets with taxes increased. The CS starts with Antioch and Edessa as well; what happened to those?

**RaduAlexandru** · May 20, 2011, 12:13 AM

A lot depends on if you have BGR or not - I am with KoJ actually in Late right now - my armies are composed from mass mercs and urban militias - I have almost no feudal troops [the few good that I have I keep as a reserve] BUT and it's a big BUT I am swimming in cash [with BGR active yea].

What did I do. Well from the start I got alliance with the pope and I called a crusade on Cairo the very 1st turn.

Next I kept just Acre as a castle and transformed the others in towns as soon as I had the cash - I also allied with the seljuks - when I did that [2nd turn] I disbanded the remainder of my non-upkeep units - I kept just some militia and the cannons in jerusalem.

When the crusade was about to capture Cairo I jumped in but I went for Antioch and Damascus - 1st one was very easy - in Damascus I lost all my units but I won the battle.

Next as soon as the crusade was over I offered peace + trade rights to the fatimids [which they accepted being at war with everybody].

To expand further I made sure to keep the seljuks happy by gifting them some cash every once in a while - and I kept calling crusades on the fatimids and when they were about to finish the crusade I jumped in and took some more towns from the fatimids.

I was lucky - the jihad was called on Baghdad not on me - but if you get a jihad on you forget defending - give the city as soon as possible to a muslim faction to prevent the rest declaring war - I usually do this by having a diplomat near the fatimids at all times. You will be able to capture it back in 4-5 turns max.

Regarding what I built - well 1st the churches - next farms - and only after some economic buildings - but because I had only free upkeep units ... no problem with the cash and I got a fast going pop. boom. As for the war - well as long as you keep the seljuks happy ... 0 pb - the fatimids might attack but they will accept peace [on VH!] - just remember to ask for a crusade on the seljuk cap [should be the 2nd or 3rd one] but don't join.

Otherwise you should be fine - just don't go for castles - convert all except acre and maybe Gaza into towns - and I mean all - you will not really need them and further more with BGR you will not be able to actually use them because of a lack of generals with good recruitment abilities - so keep Acre and "milk" it and make the rest cash supplies - the mercs are good in that area [especially near Adana] so don't worry.

**Squidgyness** · May 20, 2011, 03:25 AM

Well, I am tempted to say that you are pretty much screwed either way. Mongols, dude.

The best thing to do would be to steamroll the egyptians, then vassal them once they have about 2 settlements left, Al-Aqaba is extremely key to financial success for Egypt, so take that and Gaza and from there you will be laughing.

If you have taken egypt already, then build any and all trade buildings, making sure to especially focus on Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Roads, ports, mines, build it all. With plague, build things like Bakehouses to help offset it in the long run and council things to help with morale and loyalty. If you have anything that raises health, BUILD IT.

And whatever you do, do not leave your NE border undefended. The mongols will annihalate you easily. Even with full stacks of medium-heavy infantry and heavy cavalry, I lasted 10 turns before I realised that I simply couldnt recruit enough troops to defend myself from the horde, RR wouldnt let me... so I capitulated on that one.

Good luck to you.

**Anubisnl7** · May 20, 2011, 03:48 AM

with the crusader states, put Jerusalem op Very High tax rate, and disband all cavalry and if you've got them ships,
and build some militia units AND cannons (they are rare and powerfull) but stack them in jerusalem, call a Crusade as soon as you can on Cario if you have some militia units, crusade your armies to Cario and during the trip, take Gaza and put in there a few militia units (Not the salor dudes, high upkeep for low tech)

after you've got Cario, (and its attacked and you are sure you can't win it, destroy all the destroyable buildings in Cario)
Also in all your Castles build Dismounted Knights of Jerusalem, very strong knights, Low tech so easy retrainable and recruitable and free upkeep in castles, and always build a small force of crusader spearmen, 90upkeep is a good upkeep for what it can do.

and the next target is Damascus, after that Antioch, Damascus will be one of your best cities, i am in turn... 60 -> 70 and damascus is 3rd, with 1 Jerusalem and 2 Constantinoble, its even above Vennice.

hope it helped a bit

**FOR GONDOR** · May 20, 2011, 06:41 PM

im in late so i only have jerusalem, kerak, acre, and tortosa...

**recentiy03** · May 20, 2011, 07:09 PM

In the long run it's probably not the best idea to destroy a city unless you're sure you're never going to reclaim it. If I am migrating my kingdom and I can't sell something off for whatever reason I might destroy a city but I would never destroy Cairo playing as KoJ because it's in your backyard and will eventually make a lot of gold, which you'll need to fight the Mongols.